Three-time Honolulu Marathon champion Mbarak Hussein visited with a group of elementary students on Thursday, continuing a tradition for his frequent return visits to the race. “It’s important to give back to the community and share my experiences with the community,” he said after the visit with first-, second- and fifth-graders at Honolulu’s Mid-Pacific Institute….

In the women’s field, the contenders for the 2013 Honolulu Marathon include defending champion Valentina Galimova of Russia. She will again be up against Woynishet Girma of Ethiopia. In 2012 the two had an epic battle that lasted up until the last quarter mile on Kalakaua Avenue, when Galimova proved too strong for the 2011 champion….

2012 champion Valentina Galimova will return in December to defend her title in Honolulu. Valentina Galimova of Russia who won in one of Honolulu’s most exciting women’s races. She sprinted away from the 2011 champion Woynishet Girma, si-tenths of a mile from the finish to win the Honolulu Marathon in 2 hours, 31 minutes, 23…

Honolulu Marathon champions Wilson Kipsang of Kenya and Valentina Galimova of Russia returned to Kapiolani Park Monday morning to meet their fans, and Tanya Somera was first in line to get the winners’ autographs for the second consecutive year. “It’s a great incentive to meet them,” said Somera, of Pearl City, Oahu, who ran her…

Krige Schabort won the Honolulu Marathon wheelchair race for the 9th time on Sunday. He crossed the finish line in one hour, 33 minutes and 15 seconds for his second consecutive victory. He broke away from seveal others at the six-mile park and rode alone the rest of the way. But he said being by…

Valentina Galimova sprinted away from defending champion Woynishet Girma six-tenths of a mile from the finish line to win the Honolulu Marathon women’s racer on Sunday. Her time was two hours, 31 minutes and 23 seconds, which was a minute ahead of Girma of Ethiopia, whose time was 2:32:22. American Stephanie Rothstein-Bruce of Flagstaff, Ariz.,…

When the winds finally settled down, Wilson Kipsang made his winning move. Feeling comfortable and strong, Kipsang made a push at the 22nd mile and pulled away to win Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 31 seconds. “A win for me is good,” Kipsang said. Kipsang, running in his first marathon since his…

With five former honorees looking on, Svetlana Zakharova of Russia was inducted into the Honolulu Marathon’s Hall of Fame at a reception Thursday night. “I am thankful for this gift and that my career achievements are noted,” said Zakharova, a three-time winner and six-time runner-up in the Honolulu race, through an interpreter. She will be…

Kenya’s ambassador to the United States says he wanted to come to Honolulu because he Honolulu Marathon is where Kenyan runners first established themselves as world champions. “In the Kenyan runners, you are seeing the best in the world,” Ambassador Elkanah Odembo told students at a Honolulu school. “I’m very proud of our marathoners. They…

A 25-year-old from Ethiopia won the Honolulu Marathon women’s championship, her first marathon title and in her Honolulu Marathon debut. “It was a good race, but a little windy, “said 25-year-old Woynishet Girma, who finished in two hours, 31 minutes and 41 seconds. With the 5 a.m. start, running in the dark made the Honolulu…